Tim Cavanaugh: Where Did It All Go Wrong?

David Weigel | May 8, 2007

Ah, this is a a free trip to the spa for anyone who has to listen to a lot of political speeches. Former Reasonoid Tim Cavanaugh, now of the LA Times, takes to the op-ed page to offer "notes on my career in office."

Perhaps it was hubris to touch the third rail of American politics. I freely admit my Achilles' heel was that I ignored the elephant in the room. But I could not let a rogue actor continue to thumb his nose at the international community, while handing money hand over fist to the same old tunnel vision and short-term thinking. This is not about politics; it goes to who I am. To understand my decision, you'd have to go back to my recently discovered Jewish ancestor Madam Valdez, who arrived on the Mayflower. Those are the kind of deep roots and local values I brought to the Capitol. At a hastily called prayer breakfast, I consulted my deeply held beliefs, and mistakes were made.

Read it all.